Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to techniques for providing customized electronic content to a user based on, for example, a time-of-day in a geographic region. In particular, and without limitation, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for providing electronic content, such as a web page, that is customized to reflect a content preference of a user at a specific time-of-day.
Background Information
Today, the Internet represents a vital information resource for both the sophisticated user and the novice. The popularity of the Internet as an information source is due, in part, to the vast amount of information available and to the relative ease with which that information may be accessed. However, the enormity of the information available to user does not alone address the dynamically-evolving needs and interests of users of the Internet.
Many web sites, and in particular, those associated with online news organizations and content providers, provide links to popular content that may be relevant to a user. For example, a web site of a news organization may recommend links to stories, images, and videos that are popular with users who have viewed the organization's web site. However, while these recommended links may provide a global or general indication of popularity, they provide no mechanism to address the time-specific demands for electronic content expressed by users of these web sites.
Web sites may also leverage a registration process to provide location-specific content to users. For example, a registered user of a web site in Washington, D.C. may receive, upon request, a “local” version of web page of a Washington, D.C. web page, but not a “national” version of the web page. Further, for example, the registered user may also express specific preferences for content to be delivered within a personalized version of the web page. However, while providing location-specific and user-specific content, such registration-based delivery processes may fail to dynamically adjust the presentation of content to the user in sequence with, for example, evolving, time-dependent needs and/or interests of the users.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for improved systems and methods for automatically generating a customized version of a web page for a user. There is also a need for improved systems and methods for providing customized content for a user based on, for example, a current time of day associated with a geographic region, and/or preferences for specific types and formats expressed by the user. Such systems and methods may be implemented in computer-based environments, such as the Internet and network environments that provide online content to users.